Disclosed is a plasma surface treatment apparatus for conductive powder. The plasma surface treatment apparatus for conductive powder comprises: a reaction chamber including a linear gas inlet at the lower end thereof and a gas outlet at the upper end thereof, and having a vertical cross section that is funnel-shaped; and a plasma jet generation device that is located below the linear gas inlet and is configured to discharge a plasma jet into the reaction chamber from below in an upward direction through the linear gas inlet, wherein powder is accommodated in the reaction chamber and is treated by plasma while buoyed by the plasma jet.

An apparatus for manufacturing a lithium-ion secondary cell negative-electrode carbon material by heat-treating carbon particles while causing the carbon particles to flow within a heat-treatment furnace, the apparatus having a heat-treatment furnace provided with a carbon-particle supply opening for supplying the carbon particles into the interior, and a negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening for taking out the negative-electrode carbon material from the interior and a cooling tank connected in an airtight manner to the negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening of the heat-treatment furnace, and provided with a cooling means.

An apparatus for manufacturing a lithium-ion secondary cell negative-electrode carbon material by heat-treating carbon particles while causing the carbon particles to flow within a heat-treatment furnace, the apparatus having a heat-treatment furnace provided with a carbon-particle supply opening for supplying the carbon particles into the interior, and a negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening for taking out the negative-electrode carbon material from the interior and a cooling tank connected in an airtight manner to the negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening of the heat-treatment furnace, and provided with a cooling means.

Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus that includes: a polishing table; an atomizer configured to spray a fluid to a polishing surface; a polishing liquid supply nozzle configured to drop a slurry at a position that corresponds to a slurry dropping position set on the polishing table and is lower than the top surface of the atomizer; a nozzle moving mechanism configured to move the polishing liquid supply nozzle above the atomizer between the retreat position set outside the polishing table and the slurry dropping position; and a nozzle tip retreating mechanism configured to bring the tip end of the polishing liquid supply nozzle into a retreated position above the top surface of the atomizer when the polishing liquid supply nozzle moves between the slurry dropping position and the retreat position.

Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus that includes: a polishing table; an atomizer configured to spray a fluid to a polishing surface; a polishing liquid supply nozzle configured to drop a slurry at a position that corresponds to a slurry dropping position set on the polishing table and is lower than the top surface of the atomizer; a nozzle moving mechanism configured to move the polishing liquid supply nozzle above the atomizer between the retreat position set outside the polishing table and the slurry dropping position; and a nozzle tip retreating mechanism configured to bring the tip end of the polishing liquid supply nozzle into a retreated position above the top surface of the atomizer when the polishing liquid supply nozzle moves between the slurry dropping position and the retreat position.

A method of coating particles includes dispensing particles into a vacuum chamber to form a particle bed in at least a lower portion of the chamber that forms a half-cylinder, evacuating the chamber through a vacuum port in an upper portion of the chamber, rotating a paddle assembly such that a plurality of paddles orbit a drive shaft to stir the particles in the particle bed, injecting a reactant or precursor gas through a plurality of channels into the lower portion of the chamber as the paddle assembly rotates to coat the particles, and injecting the reactant or precursor gas or a purge gas through the plurality of channels at a sufficiently high velocity such that the reactant or precursor a purge gas de-agglomerates particles in the particle bed.

The invention is related to a soft-magnetic powder comprising coated particles, the coated particles comprising a core and a shell, the core having an average particle size D.sub.50 in a range from 0.1 μm to 100 μm and comprising iron, wherein the shell has a thickness of not more than 20 nm and comprises at least two solid oxides and wherein the shell comprises at least three layers and the shell comprises more than one layers of a first solid oxide and at least one layer of a second solid oxide, wherein the more than one layers of the first solid oxide and the at least one layer of the second solid oxide are arranged in an alternating manner. The invention is further related to a process for the production of the soft-magnetic powder, a use of the soft-magnetic powder and an electronic component comprising the soft-magnetic powder.

The present invention is related to a process for coating anoxide material, said process comprising the following steps: (a) providing a particulate material selected from lithiated nickel-cobalt aluminum oxides, lithiated cobalt-manganese oxides and lithiated layered nickel-cobalt-manganese oxides, (b) treating said cathode active material with a metal alkoxide or metal amide or alkyl metal compound, (c) treating the material obtained in step (b) with moisture, and, optionally, repeating the sequence of steps (b) and (c), wherein steps (b) and (c) are carried out in a mixer that mechanically introduces mixing energy into the particulate material, or by way of a moving bed or fixed bed, and wherein steps (b) and (c) are carried out at a pressure that is in the range of from 5 mbar to 1 bar above normal pressure.

The present invention is related to a process for coating anoxide material, said process comprising the following steps: (a) providing a particulate material selected from lithiated nickel-cobalt aluminum oxides, lithiated cobalt-manganese oxides and lithiated layered nickel-cobalt-manganese oxides, (b) treating said cathode active material with a metal alkoxide or metal amide or alkyl metal compound, (c) treating the material obtained in step (b) with moisture, and, optionally, repeating the sequence of steps (b) and (c), wherein steps (b) and (c) are carried out in a mixer that mechanically introduces mixing energy into the particulate material, or by way of a moving bed or fixed bed, and wherein steps (b) and (c) are carried out at a pressure that is in the range of from 5 mbar to 1 bar above normal pressure.

A particulate for an additive manufacturing technique includes a particulate body formed from a particulate material and a coating disposed over particulate body. The coating includes a carbonaceous material that has a reflectivity that is lower than a reflectivity of the particulate material to reduce an energy input requirement of the particulate such that less energy is necessary to fuse the particulate into a layer of an article fabricated using the additive manufacturing technique. A method of making particulate is also disclosed.